China’s Battery Race Moves Beyond Range as CATL and BYD Target Near-Refuelling Charging Speeds

CATL’s third-generation Shenxing battery can reportedly charge from 10 to 35 per cent in one minute, reach 80 per cent in three minutes and 44 seconds, and rise from 10 to 98 per cent in six minutes and 27 seconds. Even at minus 30 degrees Celsius, the company says the battery can charge from 20 to 98 per cent in approximately nine minutes. CATL has sought to address the heat and degradation normally associated with extreme charging speeds through improved thermal management, precision control and cell isolation. It says the battery retains more than 90 per cent of its capacity after 1,000 full charging cycles, although long-term real-world performance will need to be confirmed across different vehicles, climates and charging habits.

BYD is pursuing a similar objective through its second-generation Blade battery and FLASH Charging system. The battery can reportedly charge from 10 to 70 per cent in five minutes and reach 97 per cent in nine minutes. It is also designed to maintain relatively fast charging at extremely low temperatures. BYD plans to construct 20,000 high-powered FLASH charging stations across China and begin a large-scale international rollout by the end of 2026. This infrastructure commitment is critical because ultra-fast batteries create little practical advantage when drivers cannot access chargers capable of delivering the required power.

These products demonstrate how Chinese companies are continuing to improve lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, batteries rather than waiting exclusively for a completely new chemistry. LFP batteries are generally less expensive and avoid the use of cobalt, but they have traditionally offered lower energy density than nickel-based alternatives. CATL and BYD have narrowed this performance gap through changes in cell design, pack integration, thermal management and high-voltage vehicle architecture. The result is a battery platform that combines relatively low material costs with charging performance approaching the time required for a conventional fuel stop.

China’s advantage is reinforced by its industrial scale. The country accounted for around 60 per cent of global EV battery deployment in 2025, more than 80 per cent of worldwide lithium-ion manufacturing capacity and almost three-quarters of batteries installed in electric cars globally. This concentration supports rapid product development because battery makers can work closely with automakers, material suppliers, equipment manufacturers and charging-network operators. Large production volumes also allow new technology to move from demonstration to commercial deployment faster than in markets where supply chains are fragmented or factories are operating below capacity.

At the same time, Chinese manufacturers are diversifying beyond conventional lithium-ion batteries. Sodium-ion technology offers better cold-weather performance and reduces exposure to volatile lithium prices, while solid-state and semi-solid-state designs promise higher energy density and improved safety. Sodium-ion batteries remain constrained by lower energy density and represented less than one per cent of global battery production in 2025, making them more suitable in the near term for shorter-range vehicles, cold climates and stationary storage. Full solid-state batteries also face difficult manufacturing, cost and durability challenges, meaning improved LFP products are likely to remain commercially dominant while next-generation chemistries develop.

The new batteries could make Chinese EVs more attractive overseas by reducing two of the main barriers to adoption: charging time and range anxiety. Yet technology alone will not guarantee global leadership. High-powered charging stations require expensive grid connections, transformers, cooling equipment and large capital investments. Chinese battery and vehicle companies also face tariffs, supply-chain restrictions, security scrutiny and pressure from governments seeking to build domestic battery industries. China therefore enters the next stage of the EV competition with a powerful combination of technology, manufacturing capacity and cost control, but its ability to convert that advantage into global market share will depend on infrastructure deployment, international partnerships and the reliability of the batteries after years of daily use.